1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of mechanical fasteners and more particularly to an apparatus for deflecting a driven nail into an arcuate path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the construction arts, the well known conventional way of driving a nail perpendicularly to the planar surface of a structural member to join another member thereto is commonly employed and used in most instances. However, many situations occur which make it impossible, or at least undesirable, to drive a nail in the conventional manner. One example of such a situation is when the rafters of a roof structure are joined to a wall plate. In such instances toenailing, i.e., driving a nail diagonally or obliquely, is employed to join such structural members. The inevitable surface marking of materials which have been joined by toenailing make it undesirable to use that technique in locations which will be exposed when the structure is completed. Another drawback of the toenailing technique is that it is virtually impossible for a structural engineer to calculate the holding power of a nail driven in accordance with that technique due to various angular relationships, material density, and the like. For this reason, the building codes of many municipalities will sanction toenailing only as a last resort and some codes require that anchor straps of metal be used instead of or in conjunction with, toenailing.
Another example where conventional nailing practices are undesirable is in the fabrication of finished wooden assemblies such as cabinets, prefabricated door jambs, and the like. Such structures are nailed or stapled whenever possible so that the nail heads won't show in the finished assembly due to the need for filling the resulting holes. In many instances nailing from areas that won't be exposed is either impossible or results in assemblies that are structurally inadequate.
Prefabricated panels such as wall panels, roof panels, and the like are usually prefabricated only to the extent that the frames thereof are prefabricated. After the prefabricated frames are installed, the finishing materials such as wallboards, roof sheeting, and the like are affixed to the installed frames. The reason for not completely prefabricating such panels into closed units, is that it is virtually impossible to nail a closed panel to an abutting panel or to a wall plate without damaging the finishing material of the panel.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and useful apparatus for deflecting a nail into an arcuate path, with such an apparatus overcoming some of the limitations and drawbacks of the prior art nailing techniques.